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David Arquette, star of 'Eight Legged Freaks,' visited the AOL Live studio to chat about the new movie, working with the SUV-sized spiders, upcoming projects and much more. See what he had to say below!
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AOLJanaM: Hey, everyone! We're going to be giving away prizes during the chat to the "freakiest" row! So you have to be super excited and send in your questions for David!

Host: Live from beautiful downtown Culver City and your AOL Live studios, please welcome the eight-legged freak himself -- well, maybe minus a few legs -- David Arquette. It opens Wednesday. What can you tell us about 'Eight Legged Freaks'?

David Arquette: Well, it's just a blast. It's sort of a flashback to the old movies of the 1960s, but it's updated and it's got a lot of juice.

Host: A lot of spider juice?

David Arquette: Yeah, green ooze, but not a lot of blood or gore.

Host: PG-13. Our first question, from Peachy, says: Dave, I've been arguing with my friends, is 'Eight Legged Freaks' a comedy or a sci-fi action flick?

David Arquette: It's both. There's two people in it, Rick Overton, who's really hilarious in it, and Doug E. Doug is also really fun in it, and it also allows me to take a back seat and play more of the action hero. But I do have a lot of funny stuff to do as well. A lot of the comedy comes from the fact that we're making fun of those old movies -- not really make fun, but that they know those movies exist in the same way 'Scream' made fun of them.

Host: Totally campy?

David Arquette: Yeah, but one part of it is that we keep it really serious, and the guys are really scared for our lives.

Host: It was one of those movies where people were making all kinds of noise and screaming at the screen and yelling. Next question: Did you actually have to work with spiders, or was it CGI?

David Arquette: We got to see spiders on the set, to see them move and stuff, and a Brazilian tarantula, and that was pretty awesome. But one reared up like he was going to bite me on the leg, and I was like, OK, take it away. Did you see these things, like spider puppets?

Host: Very nice. Totally cool. Another question -- ActionMaui333 says: How did you come to be in movies? Was there any influence from your family?

David Arquette: Yeah, definitely. I grew up -- my father had been an actor for 45 years, and his father was an actor and his father, so it was something we were all raised into. And instead of playing cops and robbers or running around and playing or whatever, we played a lot of theater games, improvisational games.

Host: And it's almost the same stuff you -- the difference is you get paid a lot of money for it. Think about it, on the set of 'Eight Legged Freaks' must have been a blast. Lot of fun, and you get paid a lot of money.

David Arquette: Definitely. But you know, acting's lot of work. I'm not saying it's not a cushy job compared to a lot of people's jobs. It pays well. But there is a lot of weird stuff that goes on, especially when you're married and your wife is an actress and you have to have love scenes and stuff. That's one dynamic that somebody who takes out the garbage won't have to deal with.

Host: I don't know. Their wives are pretty tricky too.

David Arquette: But it won't be seen on the screen in front of millions.

Host: That's true. Totally true. David asks, after seeing the movie: Do you have any fear of spiders?

David Arquette: Not really. If you're afraid of spiders, that's one thing. But if you're afraid of digital effects --

Host: You've got some issues.

David Arquette: Definitely.

Host: Kelly says: I love your co-star in the film, Kari Wuhrer. Are you ever nervous around your female co-stars, and is your wife ever nervous about you and your female co-stars?

David Arquette: Yeah -- no, not really. It's all sort of separate, you know. My commitment is my commitment. I'm unavailable as far as that goes. But, you know, there's times where you have to do certain things in movies and stuff that, you know, is uncomfortable and sort of, you know, not typical of sort of real life. So you try to, like -- you know, in this movie all we had to do was kiss, so that wasn't so bad. In other movies you say, tell me if I've gone too far or made you uncomfortable. You have to have these weird conversations to let women know they're not being taken advantage of.

Host: Speaking of weird conversations, SweetLAGirl825 says: The first time you met Courteney, were there sparks right away? Love at first sight?

David Arquette: Well, there definitely was flirtation. Hey, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you too.

Host: OK. CKFan21 says: If you weren't an actor, what would you be doing?

David Arquette: If I wasn't an actor, I would hope to be involved in art some way. I love the movie industry, so I would hope to be working in some capacity, or in music or just arts in general. But, art aside, I'm not exactly sure.

Host: Maybe an accountant?

David Arquette: I don't think an accountant. I'm just not smart enough.

Host: You and me both. I bet you can handle when the resids start coming in, though. Next question: What you wear is always so original on the red carpet. Does Courteney pick things out for you?

Host: You could get away with anything. Like even a Bozo the Clown suit.

David Arquette: It's not like I don't own clown shoes.

Host: Next question: How did you feel when you saw the spiders in the movie? This was one of those where you're acting in front of a [blue screen].

David Arquette: Well, with CGI, you never know how it's going come out, will you -- but these guys from 'Independence Day' and 'Godzilla' were so amazing, and they actually own the company that did like 'The Mummy Returns.' And I was really pleasantly surprised when I saw it. It's really neat, seeing spiders that big. They had to do a lot of stuff, because like they blew up a tarantula really big. They wanted to make them realistic, not cartoony, and when they blew up the tarantula, it was like fluffy and furry.

Host: Like a St. Patrick's Day float, huh? We're talking to David Arquette. The movie is 'Eight Legged Freaks.' It's in theaters this Wednesday. You got to check it out. It's very funny. One of the things I like is it's very campy. People were yelling at the screen, cheering, hollering. Totally fun. Another question, Viking and Timmer: What do you like to listen to?

David Arquette: I like viking music and lumberjack music. Let's see. I like a lot of stuff -- old soul music, Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers, and I like early Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, obviously.

Host: Nothing to do with the movie, but just thinking how straight you played your character. It's a lot of comedy, people are laughing hysterically, but you are like playing it straight.

David Arquette: Definitely. I tried to do it a little bit different in this one. We had Ricky Overton there and Doug E. Doug, and I couldn't keep up, quite honestly, so it was neat to have an opportunity to play just lower key and kind of be serious about it. And it was fun. The interesting thing about the movie was it was done for a real price. The whole movie cost $40 million to make, but the actual filming only cost $4 million. So they filmed it on budget and it has this campy look to it, but then they threw all the money into the computer graphics and it has this high-quality digital look.

Host: Of course. Let's go to our first AOL Instant Poll and ask: What is your favorite David Arquette movie? 'See Spot Run,' '3,000 Miles to Graceland,' 'Ready to Rumble,' 'Never Been Kissed' or 'Scream.' Here they come. Tell me who's winning right now -- 35 percent for 'Scream'? Seems like 'Scream.' 'Scream' is running away with it. Now, why do you suppose everybody likes 'Scream'?

David Arquette: Well, for one, Wes Craven is really a genius, so smart on many different levels. He's got such a great sense of humor and talent for keeping people in suspense. And Kevin Williams came up with such an original concept, to make fun of something that's become sort of urban knowledge, you know, and just have fun with something that's also scary.

Host: Look at this. 'Never Been Kissed,' very close. '3,000 Miles to Graceland,' 3 percent.

David Arquette: The problem with that movie is it didn't have any love or heart. It really showed.

Host: Well, you can't win them all. Back to our live questions. We're talking about David Arquette. The movie is 'Eight Legged Freaks.' It's in theaters Wednesday. EeriePack says: Hey, David, I just want to say hi. I love you. Since a lot of people are afraid of spiders, what are you afraid of?

David Arquette: Well, you know --

Host: Don't look at me!

David Arquette: The media. No, I'm afraid of -- I joke around, but like gangsters, mean people, violence. That's not a good thing. I just don't like, you know, mean people, people who thrive on violence, and, you know, sort of governments that really hide sort of covert behaviors and sort of taking advantage of the sort of poor people of the world.

Host: Wow. OceanGirl310: How long did it take to film 'Eight Legged Freaks'? How long were you on location?

David Arquette: We were on location for -- I guess the whole thing shot for 40 days or something, 45 days, but it took like a year with all the computers. The real stars of this movie are all these artists who were sitting back there day after day, putting layer after layer on these creatures. And they all had these little spiders in pens next to their computers, and they would watch them move and try to make it realistic. Those are the real heroes.

Host: Oh, come on. You are the hero.

David Arquette: Sure.

Host: QB27: What's the one gift that you wanted but never received?

David Arquette: I'm not sure that I... I always wanted to go whale-watching, and I've never done that.

Host: There you go. It's such a great thing. It's one of my favorite things of all time. Another question -- MileMick says: It looks like you get slimed in the film. What is all that stuff?

David Arquette: It was a process of sort of experimentation. They first came up with this sort of material that's kind of... they told us it was the essence of hairspray. It's just this really sticky, stretchy, gooey stuff. You dilute this with a ton of alcohol and water and stuff, you get hairspray -- but in its raw form. It's from some tree in the rain forest, probably, the gooey, nasty stuff. So at first they got it in buckets and kind of threw it at us, and it started dripping off me, kind of like we were doing 'The Blob' for a second, but that was the wrong film. So they came up with this idea of using hot glue and blowing it at the same time. It would sting at first. Once you got enough layers on, you got a protective coating.

Host: David, it's just the essence of hot glue.

David Arquette: Yeah. But the guts were just applesauce and lime Jell-O.

Host: Wow. Who would have known? Another question: David, are there any more 'Scream' movies coming out?

David Arquette: I don't think so. I'm not sure what happened, but if they wanted to make another, I'd be glad to.

Host: Yeah, I think they all made money.

David Arquette: Well, I'm not sure on the books they did.

Host: That's a whole other chat! You know what I'm talking about? I don't know if you are ready, but I'd like to do another AOL Instant Poll. Who would win in a fight, David Arquette or Carrot Top?

David Arquette: Oh, gosh.

Host: That's a good question.

David Arquette: Well, I'm not violent. Not any longer. I like Carrot Top. He's getting a tough [treatment].

Host: Ninety-three percent, David Arquette.

David Arquette: What if Carrot Top could use gizmos, his weaponry?

Host: Yeah. You gave up the AT&T gig. You wanted to move on?

David Arquette: Yeah. It was great for me. It got my face out there and it got me visibility, but it also put me in a comedian box, and I do like to do different things. It also got me to do a lot of comedy. But I prefer to keep it a little more sort of varied.

Host: You can probably pop out of that comedian box. But Carrot Top? I don't know.

David Arquette: He probably could if he really wants to. It's a tough business. You're always looking for sort of your niche and what works for you and what you really want to do. And doing those commercials are kind of, you know, you do a lot of funny stuff, and they can't use half of it because the big corporations, they have an image and stuff they have to watch out for, and you can't do certain things that could be considered violent or offensive. So what you usually end up with is like the bare bones of those commercials. I'm sure there's a lot of funny stuff on the cutting-room floor.

Host: Another question. KDGriffO1: Mr. Arquette, what was the first movie you ever made?

David Arquette: I believe it was 'Where the Day Takes You' with Lara Flynn Boyle. And I had an all-right part, with Alyssa Milano. I played her boyfriend. That was my first movie.

Host: What would you like to do? Is there something out there that you're really, really itching to do that you haven't had the chance?

David Arquette: Just sort of working with good people. I always look to do different things and switch it up as much as possible just to, you know, get a lot of different experiences. So I'm working with the Muppets next, you know.

Host: You know what? I can see that.

David Arquette: I worked with them once before. I had a small part in 'Muppets in Space,' but I was a bad guy.

Host: I love the Muppets. You know who my favorite character is? The Shrimp.

David Arquette: He's so funny.

Host: Next question: What is an eight-legged freak? We've almost beaten this into the ground, haven't we? How many times have you been asked that question in the last three weeks?

David Arquette: Two hundred. It was me. The movie was originally called 'Arach Attack,' and it sounded too much like 'Iraq Attack' for them and they got weirded out, and they said 'Eight Legged Freaks' and used that as the title. That line was actually after the movie was finished and I was on my back, and I said, "Hey, Dean, great place to throw in a line."

Host: Well, it's almost the perfect title. Campy, fun. When you watch the TV commercials -- and I like the ads for this movie -- the line is perfect.

David Arquette: What I really like about it too, is it's kind of stuck in past, the whole studio system. It's like hip-hop culture, like nowadays culture, and freaks are like sexual deviants or crazy people or all this, you know. I like this. Did you ever see the real movie 'Freaks'? It's awesome.

Host: You just like the word "freak."

David Arquette: That's it.

Host: Darveingsd: I loved you in the movie 'Ready to Rumble.' Are you a fan of wrestling, and who is your favorite wrestler? I am a fan myself.

David Arquette: Yes, I am a wrestling fan. I have a lot of favorite wrestlers. Diamond Dallas Page really helped me get involved in wrestling, so a little diamond cutter for you. And Bill Goldberg is really a cool person. Billy Kidman. But right now I love the stuff that, oh, jeez, I've forgotten his name, but...

Host: All right. Let's take another question. Enough about wrestling. BigLady15. Would you like to meet BigLady15? Why not? Not opposed.

David Arquette: Kurt Angle. Hold on. I like the comedy of Kurt Angle.

Host: OK. For all the two people who knew who that was. Would you react differently if the spiders were real?

David Arquette: If they were real, I'm sure I would die of a heart attack before I could get out of the place. But if they were real, I hope that doesn't happen. I'm scared of Alaskan king crabs.

Host: You're pretty much scared. Speaking of scared, another user question -- AOL Instant Poll. What are you more afraid of: giant hairy spiders, masked serial killers or the stock market? Which are you most afraid of? All right. Let's see what happens. People are voting. Masked serial killers -- so far that seems to be the winner.

David Arquette: Yeah. That's the sort of most realistic. I mean, you could say the stock market, but...

Host: I think it's a younger crowd. They've yet to get wiped out by the stock market.

David Arquette: Exactly.

Host: Their time is coming. All right. Well, it seems like everybody is afraid of masked serial killers. As they should be. Which means we need another 'Scream' movie. Another question -- ByeBlue says: What do you think of ever appearing in 'Friends' again?

David Arquette: I would love to. But the one episode I did, it was the longest episode it took them to film. It lasted until like 3:00 in the morning.

Host: Why? Were you a problem?

David Arquette: I was. They had to write and rewrite for me, because my story line just wasn't going anywhere. I'd say a line, and it was like crickets out there.

Host: It wasn't believable?

David Arquette: Well, it was with Phoebe.

Host: Well, that was the problem. Next question: Do you think you will ever play a serious dramatic role, like Shakespeare?

David Arquette: I'm not sure. I'm actually trying to produce something right now, not Shakespeare, but it's about Cyrano. There would be some of that in there. I love playing more dramatic stuff. Most of the time it's either in an independent film that a lot of people don't get to see, or... I have an independent film coming out called 'The Gray Zone' which is far more dramatic than I've ever done. But it's not Shakespeare.

Host: 'Eight Legged Freaks' is almost like Shakespeare. You're very serious. It's a funny movie, but...

David Arquette: Yeah, and the language is similar.

Host: Exactly. Russell says: How do you prepare for your different movie roles?

David Arquette: Well -- well, it depends on the different role, Russell. Some don't sort of require as much preparation or research as others. Where are you really going to go to research giants spiders? But I was a mining engineer in it, and I didn't look into too much of that, to tell you the truth.

Host: Not much research?

David Arquette: No. But in 'The Gray Zone,' I read tons and got into that world. It sort of deserved -- or not deserved, but it required it more. This is more about excitement and adrenaline. That's more important in a movie like this, to keep it exciting for them.

Host: By the way, this movie is nonstop. It's not -- you don't feel like, oh, this is two hours now. It really kept moving. What's your favorite food?

David Arquette: I like Korean barbecue a lot, and I love Mexican food. It's incredible. Italian is probably my favorite.

Host: We've learned a couple things. You're scared and you like to eat.

David Arquette: And I love ribs. Barbecue --

Host: Sorry. I didn't mean to get off on that. You haven't eaten today, have you?

David Arquette: No, I haven't.

Host: PinkCottonCandy says: I can't wait to see you in the movie. What was the most difficult part of filming 'Eight Legged Freaks'?

David Arquette: The most difficult part was the schedule. It was a really quick schedule. We had a lot of time on our hands and were sort of, you know, going crazy to finish the shots and everything. Plus my father was sick at the time, and he passed away during it. So I guess that would be the hardest thing. I usually wouldn't share something like that, but I can't seem to keep my mouth shut. What are you going to say?

Host: Moving right along, MaxRabbit says: What is the worst job you had before you became an actor? You must have had some awful jobs.

David Arquette: Not really. I got lucky. I got my first job right out of college. I was going to study acting, and then I got my first job and I thought, you know, should I learn on the job or go study? So I decided to learn on the job, which -- I'd like to go back to school at some point. But my worst job was probably selling maps to stars' homes.

Host: Oh, that's a great job. It's a great bad job?

David Arquette: Yeah. Along Sunset Boulevard there are people who sell maps to stars' homes.

Host: I've always been convinced they're selling other things than maps to homes. Is that true?

David Arquette: No. Not the guy I worked for.

Host: Are they really the maps? Or are they people that lived in the houses 25 years ago?

David Arquette: Yeah, a lot of like Walt Disney's house and Lucille Ball's house. But the reason it was the worst job ever, about the fourth day, I'm sitting there, nobody's stopped all day, and I'm sweating and hungry, and some guy came up and said, do you have any maps? I said yeah. And then he pulled down his pants! That was the worst experience.

Host: Wow. Mystery2 says: Who would you like to act with?

David Arquette: Oh, I got to act with Jeff Bridges. Could we go to dead people too?

Host: Sure.

David Arquette: Peter Sellers or Buster Keaton. But alive actors, De Niro and Pacino and all those great actors .

Host: Let's take one more question. Jan98: What are you working on now? What are we going to see next after 'Eight Legged Freaks'?

David Arquette: Well, 'The Gray Zone,' which I mentioned, and I have another few films coming out. One is called 'A Foreign Affair,' which is about two brothers who sort of, you know, are kind of backwoods and mama's boys. And their mother died, so they have to get a wife because they can't cook and clean for themselves. So they go to Russia to find a mail-order bride, which is pretty funny. Me and Tim Nelson, the guy in 'O Brother, Where Art Thou'?

Host: All right. That was the last question. We're talking to David Arquette. His movie 'Eight Legged Freaks' is in theaters Wednesday, and it's very funny. I think it's going to do very well. Thanks for stopping by AOL Live, and go see 'Eight Legged Freaks.'

AOLJanaM: Thanks, everyone, for all your great questions!

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